A hand guard is a device attached to a firearm for gripping the weapon and for protecting the hands of the user from the barrel, which may become very hot when firing. One existing two-piece hand guard design that surrounds a portion of the barrel of a firearm includes flanges that protrude outwardly from the firearm. Fasteners pass through the flanges for mechanically securing the top and bottom portions of the hand guard together. Another existing design uses radial screws to secure the hand guard in the vicinity of the barrel nut.